Pippin's Escapede
by Goldie Gamgee
Summary: Twelve-year-old Pippin thinks that his family hates him, so he runs away from home. But the night is no place for a hobbit-child and Pippin soon finds himself helplessly lost.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey ya'll! I should be writing the twentieth chapter to 'We Four Stand Together' (a plausible and 'proper' version of Girl in ME) but instead I came out with this! Hope you like it.**

…..

[S.R. 1402, 24th Afterlithe]

"Children!" Eglantine's clear voice rang down the hall. "Dinner!"

Pearl was already there, helping her mother set the table like a good eldest daughter, while Pimpernel sat in the lounge reading.

Pervinca sat beside her, asking her elder sister incessantly if she wanted to play a game. Pimpernel simply ignored her, and continued reading.

Pippin came running from down the hall, tripping over the rug and landing flat on his face. He picked himself from the ground without hesitating and ran into the kitchen.

"Ma!" Pippin cried as he skipped in.

"It will be ready soon, dear. Go wait in the lounge," Eglantine shooed her impatient son out.

Pippin wandered back into the lounge and leapt onto the big red armchair in the corner of the room, grinning.

Pervinca's eyes grew wide. "Ma! Pippin's sitting on da's armchair!"

"No I ain't," Pippin said, hastily climbing back down.

"Yes you was!" Pervinca cried.

"No I wasn't!"

"You was! Ma!"

"Vinca, you tattle!" Pippin stamped his foot, glowering at her.

"Pardon, Vinca?" Eglantine poked her head around the door.

"Pippin was sitting on da's armchair," Pervinca said proudly.

"Pippin," Eglantine warned, "You know how your father feels about his armchair."

Pippin sat on the floor and pouted. "Vinca, you tattle!"

"You got in trouble!" Pervinca smirked.

"Be quiet, both of you." Pimpernel looked up from her book and rolled her eyes.

"I don't like you," Pippin glared at Pervinca, "Or you." He pointed to Pimpernel.

"Ma!" Pervinca yelled, "Pippin says he doesn't like us!"

Eglantine sighed and poked her head around the door again. "What, dear?"

"Pippin says he doesn't like us," Pervinca pretended to look upset, "He says we are _stupid_."

"I never said _nothing_ like that!" Pippin's eyes grew wide.

"Pippin," Eglantine looked a little bit angry, "Don't be so rude to your sisters!"

"But—" Pippin began, but his mother had already disappeared back into the kitchen.

Pervinca smiled sweetly at him.

…

Dinner was a pleasant affair consisting of succulent chicken pie, buttery mashed potato and an array of vegetables.

Paladin had joined them, and he sat at the head of the table. He had an authoritative presence, but was a kind and jolly hobbit. Next to him was Eglantine, across from which was Pearl; then along was Pervinca and Pimpernel, and right down at the other end was Pippin, looking like anything but the future Thain as he played with his food.

"Pippin!" Eglantine said sharply.

Pippin looked up. He had turned his carrots into people who were currently swimming through a mash potato lake.

"_Don't_ play with your food," Eglantine continued, "Remember your table manners."

Pippin put the carrot down—but as Eglantine looked away secretly poked his tongue out at her.

Only, the tongue was not so secret, because Pervinca saw.

"Ma!" She squealed, "Pippin poked out his tongue at you!"

Eglantine looked at him angrily.

"Pippin," She snapped, "Stop being so insolent! You're twelve—start acting like it!"

Pippin slumped in his seat, tears pricking in his eyes. "Tattle," He mouthed at Pervinca.

Pearl did the little rolling-eyes and little sigh thing she did when she thought someone was being immature. This made Pippin a little angry.

"Why does everybody hate me?" He sobbed, pushing his plate away and hopping down from his chair.

Pearl did the sigh thing again. Eglantine frowned at him. "Don't you start, Pippin. Nobody hates you. Don't overreact."

Pippin screamed and kicked the table leg, before storming off in the direction of his room.

"When _will_ he grow out of the tantrums?" Pearl rolled her eyes.

…..

"I am _not_ insolent," Pippin muttered, lying on his bed and clutching a bunch of rags in his arms, "Why does everyone _hate_ me?"

The bunch of rags was actually 'Muffy', a floppy toy dog Pippin had been given when he was born. Well, at any rate, he had, at one point in its life, resembled a dog. Since then both ears had been chewed off, he had lost a leg and a glass eye.

Still, he remained Pippin's Muffy and Pippin loved him so. Muffy had been lovingly hand stitched by Grandmother Iris with a lovely blue checked pattern. He had been given a collar with a tiny silver bell hanging from his neck, and little purple booties.

Now he was stained and torn, the seams coming undone, stuffing falling out, and missing body parts—but the collar and bell were still intact and hanging around his neck. He resembled no longer a dog, but a mutilated bear, but Pippin could never see that.

When Pippin turned ten his father had made him throw Muffy out. Pippin obeyed reluctantly—but that night went searching through the bin and came back with Muffy. He hid the dog in a special secret hiding place.

Pippin spoke to Muffy now.

"I know Muffy… we'll run away, and no-one will care." Pippin whispered into the hole that used to be Muffy's ear.

Muffy's floppy neck nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Yes!" Pippin said, suddenly sitting up and wiping the tears from his eyes. "But first I need my coat."

It only took a few minutes to prepare. Pippin grabbed his cloak, and shoved Muffy in his breeches pocket. He then padded out into the hall.

He could hear muffled voices coming from down in the dining room, so he knew they were still eating. Pippin's stomach grumbled, but he forced himself to ignore it, and made his way to the door.

The rusty hinges creaked horribly as he pushed the door ajar. He slipped through and closed it gently behind him, as not to make any noise.

He was free. He wandered down the steps, down the path and into the darkness without a second glance, babbling mindless idiom to Muffy as he went.

…..

**A/N: I had so much fun creating Muffy:3 I have this image that twenty years on Pippin gets married to Diamond and Muffy's still there, sitting at the bottom of a draw somewhere! OwO Maybe I should write a fic called 'The Adventures of Pippin and Muffy' and have it from Pippin's POV, so that Muffy can speak and do stuff. Lol, that would be cute! XD**

**Anyway, review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Aaaand second chapter! I also got the We Four Stand Together twentieth chapter done… yayness and butterflies and a llama called Mr Precious. That was a reference to the twentieth chapter's A/N, BTW. If you want to know what it means, read the A/N of chapter twenty of We Four Stand Together.**

**This story might have three or four chapters, seeing as the chapters are quite short. Just thought I'd let you know.**

**Thanks for the reviews! ScarlettPimpernel00: Your raccoon sounds cute! :3 Did she have a name? I never really had a special toy/blankie/teddie when I was young… now I have a Gandalf Plushie, though! No joke. It's really cute!**

**I'm glad you liked the first chapter and hope you enjoy the second just as much!**

…..

[S.R. 1402, 24th Afterlithe]

Pippin wandered down the path, humming quietly to himself. It was dark and quiet, but Pippin was not scared—he had Muffy beside him. Muffy would protect him from the evil that lurked in the shadows.

It felt wondrously free wandering down the path, alone and unrestricted, Pippin decided. He quite liked the way the breeze ran a hand through his curls, the way the dirt road crunched underfoot.

He began a mad dance in the night, singing a silly song.

"I am free! O! I am free! Free as the birds and the bees and the trees!" He chanted, giggling with delight.

The song was wholly stupid but it felt good on his tongue.

"I am free-ee-ee!" He sang, attempting a cartwheel. He couldn't quite manage it in the graceful way his sisters could, and ended up falling onto his bottom.

He laughed out loud and scrambled to his feet, skipping down the road again.

He was now into the village of Tuckborough. As he walked, something seemed somewhat out of place.

Pippin stopped. He frowned. He started walking again.

Lo! That was what was missing. The satisfactory bump that Muffy made in Pippin's breeches pocket as he skipped—

_Muffy._

Pippin let out a little cry of alarm and felt for his pocket. There was no lump where Muffy should have been. Muffy was gone!

Pippin panicked. _He must've fallen out while I was dancing!_ He thought.

Pippin began to run.

Back through the village he sprinted until he came to the spot he had been skipping around merrily. He couldn't see Muffy anywhere.

"Where is he?" Pippin got on his hands and knees and felt around in the darkness for the shape of a mutilated dog. There was nothing.

With Muffy gone the shadows began to loom closer. Pippin whimpered and stood up. The wind was no longer invigorating but chilling. A shiver went up his spine.

Suddenly, Pippin felt a hand on his shoulder. He let out a scream and whirled around to face his attacker.

It was a portly old hobbit, with greying hair and wrinkled eyes. He looked kind enough, but Pippin was scared out of his wits.

"There, there, sonny. Why are you out this time of night, hmm?" The old hobbit squinted, "Hang on a minute, aren't you the Thain's son?"

At the moment, Pippin saw a shape out of the corner of his eye. A blue-checkered purple-bootied shape.

Pippin lunged for Muffy, taking the hobbit by surprise. Stuffing the toy in his pocket, he began to sprint down the road.

"Hey! Hey! Sonny! Come back here!" The hobbit called after him.

"Don't worry Muffy," Pippin breathed, "He'll never catch up to us—he's built like a tub o' lard, he is. Don't worry. You're safe now."

…..

The hobbit's cries faded as they ran, so fast the houses they were passing were simply a blur.

Pippin was panting by the time they reached the village's boarders. He collapsed on the side of the path, gasping for air and clutching his sides.

All was quiet. Pippin leant back until he was lying on the grass. He took Muffy out of his pocket.

"We're safe," He sighed. "I only wish I brought something to eat,"

Pippin dug in his coat pocket and found two furry candies left over from Mid-Years Day. They were at least a year old. He ate them anyway.

He checked in all his other pockets but only found a scrap of paper and a button—nothing else edible.

Sighing again, he stood up and tucked Muffy away.

…..

Pippin continued walking. The scenery was now rolling countryside but he was still terrified in the dark, less so now he had Muffy.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. He froze, staring around him in the blackness.

The noise came again:

"_Meow_."

Pippin relaxed a little, knowing it was only a cat—but then something furry touched his leg.

He screamed and jumped back, only to be staring into the eyes of a little tabby cat with a torn ear.

"Missy!" He cried, and Missy meowed again and rubbed her head against his legs.

Pervinca had found Missy just outside the smials, hungry and wounded—her ear had been partially torn off and was bleeding horribly. She had taken her in, fed her—and ever since then, Missy had been Pervinca's cat—but one day she had run away, and they hadn't seen her since. Pervinca had feared she was dead; but here she was, purring and being petted by Pippin.

"Vinca misses you terribly, you know." He crooned to the cat.

He bent down to pick her up, and she mewed in alarm. She let him hold her for a bit, but then starting squirming, and Pippin put her down.

"I'm running away, Missy." Pippin explained, "Me and Muffy."

Missy meowed as if she understood.

"You should go back to the smials, Missy," Pippin told her, "Back to Pervinca—and Pearl. Pearl used to give you chicken bones from the kitchen, remember?"

But Missy made no sign of moving in the opposite direction. She sat, her tail flicking back and forth, staring up at Pippin with her dark amber eyes.

"Missy," Pippin said impatiently, "Go on."

Missy did not move.

"Missy!" Pippin attempted to turn her in the direction of the smials—but to no avail. Missy stayed put.

Pippin rolled her eyes and did a little sigh like Pearl would do if someone was being immature. "Missy, stop being insolent. And immature. Go on now."

He began to walk forward, and Missy followed him.

"Missy!" He sighed again.

Missy still followed him. Pippin realized she wanted to come with him.

"Ok Missy," He decided, "You can come with us on the adventure,"

Missy meowed again and wound her way around his legs.

They set off into the night, hobbit, toy and cat—off on their very own adventure.

…

**A/N: Awww! I love Missy. Not as much as Muffy, though. Who do you think is better? Muffy or Missy?**

**How about the old guy? His name is Adelard Took. He's exactly 74 years old, in case you wanted to know. He's in the appendices—I saw his name and was just like, 'Hey, I should make an old fat dude in the story' (because, you know… lard… hence the line that Pippin says about him being built like a tub of lard…), and Adelard was born. 74 years ago. Yep. Right. Moving on.**

**I can smell bacon right now. Just saying. In case you wanted to know. Which you probably didn't.**

**Right! REVIEW TIME! Review people! The review button wants a tickle.**

**Go on. Tickle it… come on… you know you want to… :3**


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